[Avionics Today 12-24-2014] Heathrow Airport has opened the doors to its new Airport Operations Center (APOC), a facility that supports frontline operational teams and oversees the Airport Operations Plan (AOP). The APOC concept is based on development activities performed within the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Program for Research and Innovation, which has a goal of bringing together the operational planning, monitoring and oversight of an airport in one place.
Heathrow’s new APOC. Photo: SESAR JU.
“The opening of the APOC is a major milestone for Heathrow, bringing to life many months of planning and hard work. It is also recognition of quality of solutions that the SESAR Programme is delivering in response to the airport operational needs,” said Normand Boivin, chief operating officer of Heathrow Airport. “For the first time we have many of our airport partners in the same room, together making every journey better.”
APOC features two video walls with 60 high definition screens that monitor the entire airport to give Heathrow more of a collaborative decision-making process.
SESAR JU Executive Director Florian Guillermet is hoping that other airports throughout Europe will use Heathrow as an example and establish their own respective Airport Operations Centers.
“We hope that the example of Heathrow will prompt further uptake of SESAR concepts and solutions by other airport actors in Europe,” said Guillermet.